Hip-hop and RnB are not what most people think of when they hear ‘National Poetry Day’.

Rhymes & Lyrics is an event that has been created by Craft to showcase the hip-hop side of poetry as well as the local hip-hop talent.

Hailed  as something different that the usual poetry slam, poets and performers at Rhymes & Lyrics will be blending hip-hop and RnB with poetry for National Poetry Day on Friday August 25 at Totara Street.

While Rhymes & Lyrics will offer original local flavours of spoken word, hip-hop and RnB, Totara Street attendees will experience a new take on poetry that many may have never seen.

"This event will bring out a different crowd than those who usually attend poetry events," says Rhymes & Lyrics event organiser Dhaivat Mehta.

The performers taking over Totara Street for Rhymes & Lyrics are travelling from around the country, with locals Mr Ridl from Papamoa and Ronna Grace from Whakatane, joining in, as well as Christchurch’s King Cass and Hamilton’s 4 Corners to headline the night.

Fellow artists Captain Houndstooth, King Cass, Jenna, Phreaze, and Archaeo will also perform. Local DJ, DJ Ayesha will be bringing the sounds to Rhymes & Lyrics as a featured artist.

“With mixing in hip-hop and RnB, it’s going to provide more variety and bring out the hip-hop and RnB community in Tauranga, which is vast but isn’t often highlighted," says Dhaivat.

“We aim to host the event annually and continue to incorporate more artists, both local and visiting, to evolve the performers and continue to get more theatrical acts.

“With the broadening of performances each year, we’d expect to see the attendees expand into a wider range of people which is really exciting.”

The local Tauranga Western Bay Community Event Fund (TWBCEF) has supported this event by recently approving a grant of $4,000 to support the organiser's costs of promoting and hosting the event.

Nelita Byrne of Tauranga City Council says the fund sees significant value in the efforts Craft is making to connect and engage the wider community with arts.

“It’s fantastic to be able to support opportunities for people to experience a wider range of performances through Rhymes & Lyrics. Poetry, hip-hop and RnB are expressions – of thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

"This event will show a different flavour of performances appealing to different genres in our community. The aim for this event is that they will be able to expand year on year to continue showcasing the wider range of poetry.”

For more information on Rhymes & Lyrics and to purchase tickets, head to Totara Street’s website or click here